American baseball fans have been thrilled by the home run derby for many years.
There were no national television cameras at Friday's Busch Softball Classic home run derby like there are for Major League Baseball's event, but the enthusiasm for it was evident among the 42 players who participated and the fans who watched.
Today’s championship schedule
At Sherwood Sports Complex
Women’s Major division
TBD, 10:20 a.m.
Men’s Major division
TBD, 11 a.m.
Men’s Class C division
TBD, 2:15 p.m.
Men’s Class D division
TBD, 3 p.m.
Men’s Class E division
TBD, 4:10 p.m.
Women’s Class D division
TBD, 4:30 p.m.
Once the two-hour event was over, an Arkansan was on top as Adam Ussery of Benton got the best of his teammate Cory Briggs of Siloam Springs.
Ussery won the home run derby by hitting nine at Sherwood Sports Complex, then bested Briggs in a hit-off showcase competition 6-3. Briggs, who is one of the top home run hitters in USSSA softball, was awaiting the winner of Friday's home run derby.
"He's one of the best," Ussery, 29, said of Briggs, 30. "He didn't get as many swings as I did."
Briggs admitted there was going to be some good-natured teasing from his teammate Ussery about the victory.
"I'll have to deal with that in our group message," Briggs said.
Thunderstorms earlier Friday night cooled off the temperature in Sherwood, to the delight of Ussery.
"It was a beautiful night," said Ussery, who is the sports recreation manager for the city of Hot Springs. "Usually it's 90-95 degrees here at the Busch, but it was only 75 tonight."
Ussery was glad to put on a show Friday night as he launched several softballs deep into the woods behind the left-field fence at what is Sylvan Hills High School's home softball field during the spring.
"Everybody loves the long ball," Ussery said. "Everybody loves to see how far they can hit the ball."
Briggs, a former baseball coach at Gravette High School and a current fourth-grade teacher at Gravette Elementary School, said he appreciates the home run derby.
"Just watching the ball travel in the sky and seeing how far it goes, it's fun to watch," Briggs said. "You can only get so much with base hits. I think guys like to see how far they can hit. The crowd likes that, too."
Busch Softball Classic tournament director Clint Albright and his staff moved the home run derby from a 5:30 p.m. start to after 8 p.m. -- in what he called "prime time" -- in part to allow more people to watch the derby, which is in its 11th year in a tournament that is in its 39th year. Albright said fans appreciate the art of the home run.
"People marvel at something that can be struck that good," Albright said. "People respect the talent of it.
"The commercial, 'Chicks dig the long ball,' was true."
Ussery and Briggs, who are teammates on the Smash It Sports team, will play for Team USA's national slowpitch softball team July 27-29 in Kitchener, Ontario.
"It's such an honor to represent our country and go to Canada to play against those guys," Ussery said. "It's phenomenal."
While the Smash It Sports team is not playing this weekend, Ussery said he's enjoyed playing at the Busch Softball Classic over the past six years and was glad to be in Friday's home run derby.
"The atmosphere was amazing," Ussery said. "You get to see all of these teams come in from all over the country and see all these local players play against those teams. That's fun."
Sports on 07/08/2018